Card packet and translator device



June 21, 1966 D. RECTOR 3,256,631

CARD PACKET AND TRANSLATOR DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 s INVENTOR. DEN/W5 M: c TOR /Xza) A TTYS.

United States Patent Filed Feb. 20, 1964, S61. No. 346,153 Claims. (Cl. 40-459 My invention relates to a device providing a packet for holding a plurality of cards such asdata punch cards that are in such common use today in connection with the use of computers in analyzing collected data.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a card packet device which is transparent to permit using the headings on the cards as the indexing means, which also has means to hold one card group of the cards therein at a different level than others, to act as an identifier; or translator to give meaning to the markings on the other cards. The device promotes ease in putting cards into and removing cards from the device as well as the putting of the card filled devices in a file box removing them from the box. More particularly it is the purpose of my invention to provide a card holder packet device of transparent sheet such as polyethelene sheet material which is stiff and which is folded to provide a front wall of a height and length to cover the card to be stored, a rear wall of a height enough greater than of the front wall to carry an indexing legend above the front wall, the front and rear walls being joined at the bottom of the device, and each carrying a downturned extension that lies between the sheets, the down turn extension on the rear wall being of a height and length to cover the card and carrying at its lower edge an upturned extension. at a level above the junction of the front and rear walls substantially equal to the difference in height of the front and rear walls.

The nature and advantages of my invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of my invention. Obviously the device may be modified in detail and still embody the features pointed out hereinbefore and defined by the claims'made hereinafter so the description is not intended to limit the scope of my invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing how a sheet of clear plastic material is cut and folded to provide the card packet device of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the device in completed form;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the device with cards therein, the section being substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the device with the cards therein, the legends on the cards being shown as they appear through the transparent sheet; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawings the invention as illustrated in FIGURE 2 is formed of a stiff sheet of transparent polyethylene resin or its equivalent. The sheet is folded to provide a front wall 1, a rear wall 2. The sheet is folded over at the top of the rear wall to provide an extension 3. At a level spaced substantially above the fold joining the front Wall 1 and the rear wall 2, the extension 3 is folded rearwardly and upwardly to provide an upturned extension 4 which lies between 2 and 3. The sheet has a down turned extension 5 of the front wall which terminates above the junction of the front wall 1 with the rear wall 2.

In FIGURE 1 the various walls are spread apart to' show how the folds are made. The fold line 6, between walls 1 and 2 becomes the bottom edge of the card packet.

The fold line 7 becomes the top edges of the packet. The line 8 between the extension walls 3 and 4 marks the limit of downward movement of cards inserted between walls 2 and 3. The fold line 9 is between walls 1 and 5. It is to be noted from FIGURE 2 that the rear wall 2 is substantially greater in height than the front wall 2 but that the extension wall 3 is substantially the same in height as the front wall 1. The front wall 2 is made of a Width and height to cover with ease the cards to be used, allowing of course some extra height so that a plurality of cards 10 may be placed between the front wall 2 and the extension wall 5. The extension wall 5 need not be as high as the front wall 1 for its function is merely to hold the inserted cards against the front wall 1 and protect them from being soiled or filled with dust. A second group 11 of cards is held between the wall 3 and the extension 4. The extension 4 neednot be as high as the wall 3 for its function is to hold cards 11 against the wall 3 and at a level higher than the cards 10. The cards 11 are also fully protected against soiling by the wall 3.

This card packet device makes it easy to use an indicia or data card at the rear for general indexing purposes and an explanatory card at the front of the cards 10 for any kind of data collection assembly. This is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 where the two types of cards are shown. In FIGURE 4 which views the device in use as it would appear from the front we see at the top the general indexing legend which is needed on all the data punched cards. In FIGURE 4 we also set the explanatory or instruction card 10 which tells by its legends the identification of the punched openings in the cards. This card is in front of and obscures the punches on the cards 11. When we break away the front wall 1 and its suspension wall 5 we see the face of the card 11 through the transparent wall 3.

The entire group of cards in a packet are filed and handled as one unit. The bottom fold line 6 provides a straight stiff edge to go down between adjacent units. There are no raw edges on the outside of the packet device at either top or bottom. Both ends of the device are open and cards may be inserted and removed through these ends. To facilitate this removal one end edge of each of the walls 25 is notched as indicated at 2a, 3a, 4a and 5a. These notches enable one to grasp the cards and pull them out.

It is believed to be evident from the foregoing description that I have provided a simple inexpensive card packet device which is particularly useful in storing the punchedcards and explanatory cards of data processing operations and which holds the cards in a unique manner to make the information they carry accessible.

The sheet of material used may vary, of course, and

suitable transparent plastic sheet may be used which canbe folded and retain its shape. Such material is readily available on the market.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A transparent card holding packet device adapted to hold a plurality of cards in two groups in such manner as to fully expose a front card of a front group and a legend area along the top of a rear group comprising;

a transparent sheet having folds therein dividing the sheet into a front wall of height and width sufficient to cover the cards, a rear wall joined to the front wall along the bottom edge thereof;

the rear wall substantially exceeding the front wall in height;

both walls having extension walls depending from their top edges and lying between said front and rear walls;

the extension wall depending from said rear wall being substantially the same height and width as the front wall; and

card support means at the lower edge of said last named extension wall.

2. The device defined in claim 1 wherein said rear wall and said extension walls are notched at one end to provide finger grip space for gripping cards in the device.

3.. The device defined in claim 1 wherein the card support means comprises an upturned extension on the last named extension wall extending upwardly between it and the rear wall.

4. A transparent card holding packet device adapted to hold a plurality of cards in two groups such manner to fully expose a front card of a front group and a legend area along the top of a rear group comprising;

a transparent sheet having folds therein providing the sheet with a front wall of height and width sufiicient to cover the cards and a rear wall of greater height than the front wall;

said walls being joined along one side edge; the other side edges of said walls having extension walls lying between the front and side walls. 5. The device defined in claim 4 wherein the extension 5 wall on the rear wall is of substantially the same size as the front wall and has a folded over extension at its edge remote from its connection to the rear wall forming a support for cards between it and the rear wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

WENCESLAO J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TRANSPARENT CARD HOLDING PACKET DEVICE ADAPTED TO HOLD A PLURALITY OF CARDS IN TWO GROUPS IN SUCH MANNER AS TO FULLY EXPOSE A FRONT CARD OF A FRONT GROUP AND A LEGEND AREA ALONG THE TOP OF A REAR GROUP COMPRISING; A TRANSPARENT SHEET HAVING FOLDS THEREIN DIVIDING THE SHEET INTO A FRONT WALL OF HEIGHT AND WIDTH SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE CARDS, A REAR WALL JOINED TO THE FRONT WALL ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE THEREOF; THE REAR WALL SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDING THE FRONT WALL IN HEIGHT; 